While it probably won't hide us from evil, magical creatures, researchers say a surgeon could look through his hands at what he's operating on during the procedure with the technology. What's more, it could also be used to help drivers better see their blind spots.

Keep clicking to read about other medical advancements that seem like science fiction. less

Nail polish that detects date-rape drugsA night out on the town can quickly turn from fun to tragic if the wrong person gets near your drink.

Thanks to undergrad students at North Carolina State University, a ... more

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Machines that can read your dreamsScientists with the University of California, Berkley have created a machine that could potentially read a sleeping person's dreams. It's so powerful that it can essentially grab images from a person's brain and display them on a screen, according to researchers.

The new technology isn't just a novelty; it could help fight crime. The scanner has already been used to detect and reconstruct the faces that a person is thinking of. This could prove helpful when trying to sketch out what a criminal looks like from the minds of witnesses.

Young blood for old brainsCan the aging process be delayed using the blood of young people? One study from the Stanford School of Medicine found that the blood of young mice can be used to restore mental capabilities in older mice.

“There are factors present in blood from young mice that can recharge an old mouse’s brain so that it functions more like a younger one,” researcher Dr. Tony Wyss-Coray said in a press release. “We’re working intensively to find out what those factors might be and from exactly which tissues they originate."

Wyss-Coray thinks this new knowledge could help Alzheimer's patients and hopes to test the study's findings through a clinical trial. less

Young blood for old brains
Can the aging process be delayed using the blood of young people? One study from the Stanford School of Medicine found that the blood of young mice can be used to restore mental ... more

Photo: Getty Creative Stock

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Inception-style dreamingResearchers discovered that you don't need to be Leonardo DiCaprio in order to enjoy some lucid dreaming. Lucid dreaming simply means when the sleeper is aware that he is dreaming, and in effect, is able to control his dreams.

Inception-style dreamingResearchers discovered that you don't need to be Leonardo DiCaprio in order to enjoy some lucid dreaming. Lucid dreaming simply means when the sleeper is aware that he is dreaming, and ... more

Photo: Warner Bros.

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Glasses that can see cancerForget a crystal ball that can see into the future. The brainiacs at Washington University developed something even better: glasses that can see cancer.

Glasses that can see cancer
Forget a crystal ball that can see into the future. The brainiacs at Washington University developed something even better: glasses that can see cancer.

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Artificial muscles made of fishing lineScientists at the University of Texas at Dallas stumbled upon this major discovery. They found that by twisting fishing line to the point that it turns into a coil, it essentially creates artificialmuscles.

Artificial muscles made of fishing line
Scientists at the University of Texas at Dallas stumbled upon this major discovery. They found that by twisting fishing line to the point that it turns into a coil, it ... more

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A contact lens that monitors blood sugarIf you're diabetic
and tired of pricking your finger all the time, maybe you'd prefer to
measure your glucose levels through your tears. Google has created a
tiny chip that can be embedded in a contact lens that would do just
that. It's the smallest wireless glucose sensor that has ever been made. It won't be available to the public for some time, however.

A contact lens that monitors blood sugar
If you're diabetic and tired of pricking your finger all the time, maybe you'd prefer to measure your glucose levels through your tears. Google has created a tiny ... more

3-D printed organs
Why wait for an organ transplant when you could have one made from your own cells on a 3-D printer? That's not a possibility now, but it could be in the future. A California biotech firm ... more

Photo: Â TODD SPOTH, 2013

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Human organs grown in animals
Scientists in Japan have been given the OK to implant human stem cells into animal embryos, making a human-animal hybrid, that will be used to grow human organs for harvesting. Read more here. less

Human organs grown in animals
Scientists in Japan have been given the OK to implant human stem cells into animal embryos, making a human-animal hybrid, that will be used to grow human organs for harvesting. ... more

Photo: Photo From Business Insider

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A heart pump with no pulse
Physicians at the Texas Heart Institute have created a heart pump that keeps blood flowing like, but produces no pulse. The blood flows steady like a garden hose making it easier to keep going. Read more here. less

A heart pump with no pulse
Physicians at the Texas Heart Institute have created a heart pump that keeps blood flowing like, but produces no pulse. The blood flows steady like a garden hose making it easier to ... more

Photo: Alija, Getty Images

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Heart transplant with no human donor
Heart transplants are incredible, life-saving stuff. Unfortunately, the procedure requires the death of a donor. Not for long. Doctors at Texas Heart Institute are creating human hearts with pig part scaffolds, stem cells and a detergent like baby shampoo. Read more here. less

Heart transplant with no human donor
Heart transplants are incredible, life-saving stuff. Unfortunately, the procedure requires the death of a donor. Not for long. Doctors at Texas Heart Institute are creating ... more

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Oxygen without breathing
Doctors at Boston Children’s Hospital have created an injection that fills the bloodstream with oxygen without requiring the patient to breathe. This breakthrough would allow patients to stay alive with less risk to organs and brain functioning. Although it only works for a short time, in some experiments the doctors have kept animals alive for up to 15 minutes without breathing. Read more here. less

Oxygen without breathing
Doctors at Boston Children’s Hospital have created an injection that fills the bloodstream with oxygen without requiring the patient to breathe. This breakthrough would allow ... more

Photo: Kathy Konkle, Getty Images/iStockphoto

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Prescriptions without a pharmacy
Too embarrassed to look your pharmacist in the eye after filling that Viagra prescription? Pfizer just became the first drug company to offer their products direct to the consumer via their web site. less

Prescriptions without a pharmacy
Too embarrassed to look your pharmacist in the eye after filling that Viagra prescription? Pfizer just became the first drug company to offer their products direct to the ... more

Photo: Catalina Mas Sebastian, Getty Images

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Checkups without a doctor
It’s not quite a “Star Trek” tricorder, but an assortment of gadgets that can be attached to your smartphone may just turn it into a doctor’s visit without the trip to the doctor. From blood pressure to eye exams, you can read about all the apps that are going to put docs out of business here. less

Checkups without a doctor
It’s not quite a “Star Trek” tricorder, but an assortment of gadgets that can be attached to your smartphone may just turn it into a doctor’s visit without the trip to the ... more

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Food without calories
The same people who created the Segway have a new invention out: It’s a pump that removes food from your stomach and deposits it directly in the toilet before you have time to digest the calories. It’s essentially a feeding tube in reverse and reduces a person’s calorie intake by about 30 percent. Read more here. less

Food without calories
The same people who created the Segway have a new invention out: It’s a pump that removes food from your stomach and deposits it directly in the toilet before you have time to digest ... more

Photo: Stephan Zabel, Getty Images

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Japanese Scientists Want To Make Human-Animal Hybrids To Grow Organs

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Scientists who want grow human organs in the bodies of animals are on their way to getting the OK from the Japanese government, according to Phys.org.

The scientists, led by Hiromitsu Nakauchi of the University of Tokyo, have developed a process for forming a "chimeric embryo" by planting a human stem cell into an animal embryo (usually from a pig). This will make a human-animal hybrid that they would use to grow human organs.

They want to plant the embryo in a female pig's womb, inducing pregnancy and creating a pig with a human organs (say, a pancreas or liver). The organs would then mature inside the hybrid offspring as it grows until it is slaughtered and scientists harvest the organs and transplant them into a human body.

So far, creating the chimeric embryo is legal, but implanting it in an animal's womb is not. Right now, a Japanese regulatory body is deciding whether to lift the ban on implanting chimeric embryos in animals, and the scientists are confident they can successfully grow a pig with human organs within a year if they win approval.

"We have long used pigs in medicine, too. So they are thought to be acceptable to human bodies," Nakauchi told Phys.org. The article also paraphrased Nakauchi as saying "pig insulin has been used to treat diabetics and that pigs' cardiac valves and pancreas have been transplanted successfully into humans."